Faith Presbyterian Church Blue Ridge GA 30513

FAITH CONNECTION 

Thursday, March 26, 2020

To the Faith family,

This has been another week of watching the news, seeking reliable information, reaching out, making connections, supporting one another and looking for ways to assist others. Please let me or your Shepherd or someone else know if you have any pressing needs and we will stand together. Also, if you are aware of, or have access to any specific items or resources or information, that might help us to help one another and others please be in touch.

Extended curtailment of in-person church activities

Yesterday, the Session met again for its weekly meeting via ZOOM and agreed that, in light of the city-wide and county-wide Emergency Declarations, and the desire to model the vital need to keep physical distance, there will be no in-person church activities through, at least, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2020. The Session will continue to review information concerning the course of the pandemic in our local area and beyond, and, take such further steps as might become necessary. 

In making this decision the Session is aware of the impact upon some of our most special Sundays and Services of Worship, Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday. How we observe these special occasions will be different this year, we will use all our imagination and inspiration, but the need for everyone to observe physical distance remains paramount. 

Worship Connection on Sunday and future weeks including Communion 

By Saturday, expect and look for the Worship Bulletin and other helpful information for everyone’s use in our WORSHIP CONNECTION (via zoom) for this coming Sunday, March 29 at 10:30 a.m. Please plan to login and extend this invitation to other people – we have upgraded our ZOOM account again in order to host and welcome all who would like to come together. The link to this week’s WORSHIP CONNECTION is provided below, and it is, in fact, the same zoom link as last Sunday and likely will remain our link each week. Last week we had over seventy logins to WORSHIP CONNECTION likely representing 120 individuals, and we now have room for even more! Faith Presbyterian Church has throughout its life always been ready to make room for people. We are doing this out on Bluebird Road, and we are doing it online! It is the enthusiastic participation and generous contributions of every member and friend of Faith that makes all this possible!

Having paid attention to guidance from denominational leaders the Session has confirmed that we will celebrate and share The Lord’s Supper, as planned, on both Sunday, April 5 (Palm Sunday) and Thursday, April 9 (Maundy Thursday). Clearly these celebrations will require some advance preparation on everyone’s part, and we will look to share that information early next week, ahead of Palm Sunday. Links to the information that the Session used in making their decision are provided here:

https://www.pcusa.org/site_media/media/uploads/oga/pdf/advisory_opinion_communion_in_an_emergency_or_pandemic.pdf 

https://www.pcusa.org/site_media/media/uploads/covid-19/statement_on_sacraments_march_2020.pdf 

One Great Hour, Red Cross Blood Drive, New Building News 

In order to simplify all that needs our attention at this time, the Session decided to observe the upcoming “One Great Hour of Sharing” offering, scheduled for Easter Sunday, at a later date. The thought was that we look forward to observing this special offering when we can re-connect in person to express our gratitude to God. One activity that will remain on the church calendar is the Red Cross Blood Drive scheduled for Friday, April 3. The Red Cross have policies in place to minimize contact between people and have told us they do not need church volunteers during the duration of the Blood Drive.

Here are some new photographs of continuing progress at the new church building, I am sure you enjoy seeing these and the beauty they represent. The New Building Committee met via zoom yesterday. 

New church progress: our HVAC contractor is hard at work installing AC/heat and the grid for the drop ceiling in the narthex is installed. The base coat of paint has been applied to kitchen and office areas. Interior doors should be next followed by trim work. Building Contractors are deemed as “essential businesses” and so our work proceeds, but we recognize that some of the suppliers may be somewhat limited.

A video of the March 25 Lent Study is on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FaithPresbyterianBlueRidge/videos/148884179772719/ 

Our Offerings and Statewide Town Hall

The plan to enable a limited number of people to attend to the business of the church in receiving contributions and paying bills is now up and running. There is on the church website a document that describes how people can use their own bank’s online billpay system to remit contributions – you can find it here: https://faithpresbyterianusa.org/on-line-givingAll checks should continue to be mailed to the church’s PO BOX address which is: Faith Presbyterian Church P.O. Box 2668 Blue Ridge, GA 30513. 

In order to help make giving as simple as possible the Session approved reminding everyone of the ability to contribute to Faith Presbyterian Church through Facebook. We had previously experimented in a limited way with this system and found it worked flawlessly. Faith is already set up to receive contributions as a non-profit organization, meaning that no fee or charge is assessed on contributions via Facebook. The result of this is that 100% of all anyone gifts to the church through Facebook comes directly into the church bank account. 

On March 26 at 8:00 p.m. all local Georgia TV stations will broadcast “The Governor’s Statewide Town Hall”. Tune in tonight, Thursday, March 26th at 8:00 p.m. on WSB-TV Channel 2, CBS46, Georgia Public Broadcasting, 11 Alive, FOX 5 Atlanta & Univision 34 Atlanta. This sounds like it might be a time to catch up on what is happening and what we are facing around our State.

race and peace in Jesus Christ our Lord to all!

Jim Simpson, Pastor